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The winners of Connecticut Community Care, Inc's 2007 Senior Poetry Contest were honored recently at an event in Plantsville. The contest judges chose twelve entries from among 495 poems submitted by 190 seniors, aged 65 to 99 from across the state. WNPR's Catie Talarski sat down with several of the winners to talk about their poetry.

Bob Jacob, Age 75: Photo by Catie Talarski

Bob Jacob received honorable mention for his poem Wall of Laughter. For the past six years, he has read poetry (loving words) to patients and family members at the Connecticut Hospice Hospital in Branford. He recently published a new book of poetry, Perspectives, which contains 62 poems from his experience as a Hospice volunteer. All proceeds from his book benefit the The Connecticut Hospice.

Listen to Bob Jacob talk about volunteering in the hospice, and read his poems Wishes and Thanks, At Bedside, and A Connecticut Hospice.

Connie Magnon-Albrizio, Age 75: Photo by Catie TalarskiConnie Magnon-Albrizio received an honorable mention for her poem If Only. She wrote the poem because each of us neglects at some time a simple act of kindness that might comfort a suffering soul. A resident of Windsor, Connecticut, she has been married to the same man fifty-five years - mother-grandmother-great grandmother. She sees poetry as a wonderful discipline; confining a thought, or message, or observation to clear brief words enriches every writing form. She is in the process of publishing a book of poetry.

Listen to Connie Magnon-Albrizio talk about why she writes poetry, and read her poem Ah Yes.

Alvin M. Laster, Age 84: Photo by Catie TalarskiAlvin M. Laster received second place for his poem Blind Child at the Piano. Laster is a World War II and Korean War veteran. He has been a pharmacist, an army counter-intelligence agent, a dentist for 26 years, and a writer for 29 years. He is a freelance writer and a published and anthologized poet. He has done op-ed pieces for the New York Times Connecticut Sunday section. He was awarded a CT Journalism award from the Society of Professional Journalists in 1989. He was included in a Random House Collection of Young Poets at age 18.